MALL HALL OF FAME: July 2010

Greater Milwaukee's Brookfield Square

Milwaukee's first fully-enclosed shopping center opened -as the Dairy State's largest mall- in October 1967.
Graphic from Jacobs, Visconsi & Jacobs

A rendering of the up & coming shopping complex, from 1966. The arched-roof structure on the right was a Kohl's Foods supermarket.
Drawing from Jacobs, Visconsi & Jacobs

This full-page spread announced the official grand opening of BROOKFIELD SQUARE. From the looks of things, the mall featured some high-end "mid-mod" interior decor.
Advert from Jacobs, Visconsi & Jacobs

A Brewtown-based Boston Store became the first tenant to open in the BROOKFIELD SQUARE mall, in August 1967. It would anchor the north end of the complex for 51 years.
Drawing from Federated Department Stores, Incorporated

The mall's quonset-style Kohl's Foods supermarket was in operation for 10 years. Following its late 1977 closure, its space was divided in half, with the northern portion becoming a Houlihan's Restaurant.
Drawing from Jacobs, Visconsi & Jacobs

The "Rain Fountain" stood on the north end of Center Court. Such water-less Wonderfall features were common in mid-to-late 1960s malls.
Photo from the L.L. Cook Company

In 1968, the shiny new shopping hub spanned approximately 1,064,900 leasable square feet on a single retail level. It contained fifty-seven stores and services under its roof. Free parking was provided for 5,000 autos.

BROOKFIELD SQUARE TENANTS 1968:

BOSTON STORE (with Garden Terrace Dining Room and freestanding Auto Center) / SEARS (with Coffee Shop and freestanding Auto Center) / J.C. PENNEY (with Beauty Salon, Coffee Shop and freestanding Auto Center) / T.A. CHAPMAN / KOHL'S FOODS / F.W. WOOLWORTH (with Woolworth's Restaurant) / WALGREEN DRUG (with luncheonette) / BROOKFIELD SQUARE CINEMA (single screen) / Allied Radio Shack / Atlantic City / Baker's Shoes / Baldwin Wurlitzer Organs & Pianos / Barricini Candy / Bresler's 33 Flavors Ice Cream / Brills Colony Men's & Boy's / Brookfield Federal Savings & Loan (outparcel) / Brookfield Music Center / Brookfield National Bank (outparcel) / Brookfield Square Barber Shop / Evenson's Gift Shop / Fanny Farmer Candies / Florsheim Shoes / Fountain of Flowers / Four Seasons Casuals / Harris, Upham & Company Stock Brokers / Hobby Horse / House of Fashion Beauty Salon / House of Nine ladies' wear / Johnny Walker Men's & Boy's / Julie Ann Fabrics / Kaiser Shoe Boat / Kinney Shoes / Lane Bryant / Marianne Shop ladies wear / Marshall Camera West / Mary Lester Fabrics / Memory Lane, Incorporated Cards & Gifts / Miles Shoes / Militzer Bakery / Nobil Shoes / Parklane Hosiery / Regal Shoes / Richman Brothers men's wear / Rose Jewelers / Shirley's Maternity Fashions / Singer Sewing Center / Spencer Gifts / Spic & Span Laundry / The Added Touch Fireplaces / The Grand ladies' wear / The Sidewalk Cafe / The Swiss Colony / Tie Rak / Travel Guide, Incorporated / Waldenbooks / Women's Wear

Market Square

MARKET SQUARE, in suburban Lake Forest, was completed in April 1917. It was the nation's first planned retail complex designed to accommodate shoppers arriving by automobile.
Photo from http://www.lflbhistory.org / Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society

The original plan for the center, which was designed by Howard Van Doren Shaw. It was built for 750 thousand (1917) dollars and housed twenty-four stores, twelve offices and twenty-eight apartment units. There was approximately 64,000 square feet of retail space.
Original drawing from www.idaillinois.org / Illinois Digital Architecture

In May 1928, Marshall Field & Company opened its first suburban branch in Lake Forest. The store moved into this MARKET SQUARE building in March 1931. It was enlarged, taking in all of the first floor and basement, in August 1931. In May 1941, the second floor (formerly a YWCA) was also acquired. All operations of Marshall Field's were rebranded by Macy's in September 2006. This MARKET SQUARE store was shuttered in January 2008.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Slo-Mo"

Country Club Plaza

The first structure built for Kansas City, Missouri's COUNTRY CLUB PLAZA was completed in March 1923. The complex is one of the first car culture shopping centers in the nation.
Photo from State Historical Society of Missouri / J.C. Nichols Company Scrapbook

Click here for an in-depth COUNTRY CLUB PLAZA article...

http://shoppingmallmuseum.blogspot.com/search/label/Kansas%20City%27s%20Country%20Club%20Plaza

One of the primary competitors of BROOKFIELD SQUARE was -and is-
SOUTHRIDGE MALL. The complex, dedicated in September 1970, was
the Dairy State's first 2-level, fully-enclosed shopping center. Today, with

a gross leasable area of 1,177,000 square feet, it is Wisconsin's third-

largest mall. As a matter of note, Wauwatosa's MAYFAIR (MALL) is the

largest.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Sulphur"
Graphic from Taubman Centers, Incorporated

By 1996, BROOKFIELD SQUARE had gone through several changes. The only expansion ever been done to the mall proper, a 26,000 square foot enlargement of the Boston Store, was completed in 1992. The loss of two junior anchors, in 1986 and 1994, provided room for several new inline tenants and a 9-bay Food Court. With these improvements, the complex encompasses approximately 1,182,400 leasable square feet.

Another major renovation of the mall got underway in 2004. As part of the project, the center's Main Entrance was rebuilt. An adjacent Barnes & Noble held its grand opening in the spring of 2005.
Photo from www.cblproperties.com / CBL & Associates Properties

Bravo! Cucina Italiana welcomed its first diners in the summer of 2005 and was joined by a Streetscape-style, restaurant row built along the center's east-facing front.
Photo from http://www.ci.brookfield.wi.us

The interior of BROOKFIELD SQUARE was also given a major makeover. Here we see its refurbished Food Court.
Photo from http://www.kainc.com / K A Architects

A circa-2010 plan includes four new Streetscape bistros; Mitchell's Fish Market, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Bravo! Cucina Italiana and Claim Jumper. In the periphery of the mall are Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Stir Crazy Fresh Asian Grill, Ethan Allen Design Center and Fresh Market. The mall, now 43 years old, is one of a select few who -after many years in business- still has all of its original anchor stores.

News of a too close for comfort lifestyle center surfaced in mid-2011. THE CORNERS OF BROOKFIELD would snatch a Von Maur store that had been an eagerly-anticipated (prospective) addition to BROOKFIELD SQUARE.
Drawing and graphic from http://www.mlgcommercial.com / MLG Commercial

A keeping up with THE CORNERS renovation reworked the east facade of the Sears anchor store, adding more Streetscape-type retail and restaurants. The project, which increased the mall's gross leasable area by 19,000 square feet, was completed in late 2015.
Drawing from http://www.kainc.com / K A Architects

The 50-year-old BROOKFIELD SQUARE Sears went dark in March 2018. The building was knocked down, leaving its adjacent Streetscape section intact. This was worked into a new South Wing, which included new retail, restaurants, an 8-plex dine-in cinema and entertainment and bowling center.
Drawing from www.cbl.com / CBL & Associates Properties

A circa-2021 layout shows recent mall modifications. In addition to a reconfigured South Wing, a Hilton hotel has been built on the old Sears Auto Center spot. The Boston Store, on the north end of the mall, went dark in August 2018.

The vacant Boston Store was sold to Milwaukee-based Irgens Partners in 2019. They demolished the building and are replacing it with a mixed-use collection of office buildings, restaurants, a hotel and parking garage.

Drawing from Irgens Partners

BROOKFIELD SQUARE
West Bluemound Road / US 18 and South Moorland Road
Brookfield, Wisconsin

Planning for Greater Milwaukee's first enclosed mall got underway in 1963, under the auspices of Cleveland's Jacobs, Visconsi & Jacobs firm (the predecessor of today's Richard E. Jacobs Group). They acquired a 141-acre plot, located 9 miles west of center city Milwaukee, and hired three architectural firms to design the prospective facility; Cleveland's Peter S. Thomas & Associates, Chicago's Neil & Wennland, and the firm of Baxter, Hadnell, Donnely & Preston, of Cincinnati.

Ground was broken in June 1966. A single-level, fully-enclosed complex of fifty-seven stores and services was built. There were three anchors; a 2-level (189,400 square foot), Milwaukee-based Boston Store, 2-level (201,400 square foot) J.C. Penney and 2-level (224,100 square foot) Sears.

Warren Perley Knowles III (R) (Governor of Wisconsin) officiated at the grand opening of the mall's first operational tenant, the Boston Store. The grand opening was held on August 17, 1967. Thirty-three inline stores were dedicated on October 23rd. Sears followed, on October 25th. J.C. Penney was among the last stores to open, with its formal dedication taking place on January 18, 1968.

In its original state, BROOKFIELD SQUARE encompassed over 1,000,000 leasable square feet. It featured a 1-level (48,000 square foot), Milwaukee-based T.A. Chapman and 1-level (71,600 square foot) F.W. Woolworth. Charter inline stores included Walgreen Drug, Bresler's 33 Flavors ice cream, House of Nine, Spencer Gifts and a Kohl's Foods supermarket. The General Cinema Corporation Brookfield Square Cinema showed a first feature on November 15, 1967.

Shopping concourses at BROOKFIELD SQUARE were landscaped with 100 thousand dollars worth of tropical plants and trees. The Boston Store Court, on the north end of the complex, featured an upper level terrace restaurant. The Penney's Court, at the center of the center, had a falling glycerine ("Wonderfall") fountain. A huge, impressionist sculpture was suspended over the Sears Court.

Commercial competitors of BROOKFIELD SQUARE included CAPITOL COURT (1956) {7.3 miles northeast, in Milwaukee}, MAYFAIR CENTER (1959) {3.6 miles northeast, in Wauwatosa} and SOUTHRIDGE MALL (1970) {7.5 miles southeast, in Greendale and Greenfield}.

The first expansion of BROOKFIELD SQUARE was completed in September 1992, when the Boston Store was enlarged to 208,000 square feet. The closings of T.A. Chapman (1986), Brookfield Square Cinemas I & II (1989) and F.W. Woolworth (1994) provided spaces for several new inline stores.

A major mall renovation commenced in June 1995. Woolworth's area was rebuilt into a 9-bay Food Court, with courts and concourses given a face lift. Imported marble flooring was laid throughout the mall, with a 150-foot barrel-vaulted skylight installed over Center Court. When construction dust settled in September 1996, BROOKFIELD SQUARE covered approximately 1,182,400 leasable square feet and contained 118 stores and services.

In January 2001, the mall was sold to Chattanooga-based CBL & Associates Properties. They announced a renovation in 2003. 248,000 square feet would be added in a new Southwest Wing. A 150,000 square foot, Davenport, Iowa-based Von Maur was mentioned as a possible anchor, with twenty-two inline stores, and a 3-level parking deck, included in the project. None of this came to fruition.

However, CBL did embark on a multi-phase remodeling in 2004. A front-facing Streetscape was built. The first tenant, a 2-level (35,600 square foot) Barnes & Noble, opened on April 13, 2005. This was joined by Bravo! Cucina Italiana in June. Mitchell's Fish Market opened in the spring of 2007. A Claim Jumper restaurant served first meals in June of 2008 (it would eventually morph into Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant). The final Streetscape tenant, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, was dedicated in November 2010.

As the Streetscape was being constructed, mall courts and concourses were refurbished and a new Main Entrance built. The Food Court was redecorated, with a circular fireplace installed. Moreover, four freestanding structures were built in the periphery of the mall. The first of these, a (22,500 square foot) The Fresh Market Gourmet Grocery, welcomed first shoppers in March 2007.

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar opened at around the same time. Stir Crazy Fresh Asian Grill and an Ethan Allen Design Center opened for business in September and December of 2008, respectively. The revitalized BROOKFIELD SQUARE now encompassed 1,135,400 leasable square feet and housed 113 stores and services.

News of a potential competitor surfaced in May 2011, causing CBL & Associates to plan further mall renovations. A lifestyle center, known as THE CORNERS OF BROOKFIELD, was envisaged for a site located 2.5 miles west of BROOKFIELD SQUARE (the first phase of THE CORNERS project would open in April 2017).

BROOKFIELD SQUARE improvements would be completed in several phases. The first reconfigured the east-facing facade of Sears. 20,000 square feet of the anchor store was sectioned off and worked into a 39,000 square foot (South) Streetscape addition. This contained five tenant spaces. The first stores opened in late 2015.

The mall lost two of its anchor stores in 2018. Sears pulled the proverbial plug in March, with the Boston Store shutting down in August. The vacant Sears, and its freestanding Auto Center, were razed, leaving the recently-completed (South) Streetscape intact. A new South Wing was built, which contained the following;

* An 8-screen, dine-in motion picture venue.
* A WhirlyBall entertainment complex, with a 2-level restaurant, bumper cars game, laser tag and bowling alley.
* 26,400 square feet of retail and restaurant space.
-and-
* Hilton Garden Inn, a 170-room hotel built on the old Sears Auto Center pad

Due to the bankruptcy of Bon Ton Stores, in 2018, the Boston Store structure went through foreclosure. Ownership reverted to an affiliate of Bank of America, who sold it to Milwaukee-based Irgens Partners in 2019. In August 2022, a redevelopment plan was announced. The Boston Store would be torn down and replaced by a mixed-use facility including office spaces, hospitality and retail components. A multi-level parking garage will also be included. The Boston Store building was demolished in March 2025.

Sources:

The Milwaukee Journal

http://www.rejacobsgroup.com / Richard E. Jacobs Group (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
http://www.cblproperties.com / CBL & Associates Properties

http://www.shopbrookfieldsquaremall.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

https://www.shopbrookfieldsquaremall.com
http://www.kainc.com (k a Architecture)
http://www.jsonline.com

https://biztimes.com
http://www.allbusiness.com
https://www.bizjournals.com
http://www.elmgroupnow.com

https://www.milwaukeemag.com

"Brookfield Square" article on Wikipedia

Springfield's Eastfield Mall

The original trademark for the Pioneer Valley shopping hub. It was the Rouse Company's tenth enclosed mall and also their first in Western Massachusetts.
Graphic from The Rouse Company

Gazebo Court, at EASTFIELD MALL, which included a bird aviary. In all, there were three fountain court areas in the original complex.
Photo from NATCO Natural Color Card Company

A circa-'68 EASTFIELD plan. The six million dollar facility encompassed around 656,000 leasable square feet and, when fully-leased, housed sixty-four stores and services. There were also accommodations for 3,700 autos in the mall's parking area.

The single-screen Eastfield Cinema was reconfigured as the Eastfield 1 & 2 in 1976. The twin movie house was shuttered in 1985. This provided the impetus for a renovation of the mall. The vacant theater and adjacent area were demolished and rebuilt into a Food Court. This remodeling project was completed in late 1986. There were now ninety stores and services.

The mall was refurbished again at the turn of the century. The Showcase Eastfield Mall 16 multiplex (in medium gray) was added to the south side and a new Old Navy store installed in gutted store space. The motion picture venue, which was dedicated in August 1999, increased the gross leasable area to 824,000 square feet. The "New" (but not fully-leased) EASTFIELD MALL now housed around fifty stores and services.

EASTFIELD MALL TENANTS 2000:

SEARS (with freestanding Auto Center) / FILENE'S / J.C. PENNEY OUTLET STORE / 60 Minute Photo / Avenue / Babbage's / Batteries Included / Bath & Body Works / Bank Boston ATM / Born & Raised USA / Coffee Cabana / Celluar One / Comfort Footwear / Community Police / Consumer Opinion Center / CVS Drug / Doctor Pecora, Optometrist / Dream Machine / Foot Action USA / Foot Locker / Friendly's Ice Cream / GNC / Have A Ball / Jiffy Lube at Sears Auto Center / Kay-Bee Toys / Kids Rides / Lady Foot Locker / Lenscrafters / Lids / Mall Barber Shop / Manisha Furniture / Master Cuts / McDonald's / Mykonos / Nail Studio / Northern Reflections / Old Navy / PayLess ShoeSource / Radio Shack / Rave / Record Town / Richard's Furniture / Salsa Gourmet Mexican / Showcase Cinemas Eastfield Mall 16 / Sizes Unlimited / Subway / Valley Dental / Vibrations / Villa Pizza / Waldenbooks / Yum Yum Kitchen

The 16-plex at EASTFIELD MALL was acquired by Rave Motion Pictures in January 2010 and was sold to Cinemark Holdings in November 2012.
Photo from http://thecaldorrainbow.blogspot.com

It was all about August! The mall's Forbes & Wallace store was shuttered in August 1976. It re-opened, as a J.C. Penney, in August 1977 and morphed into a J.C. Penney Outlet Store in August 2005. The store closed for good in August of 2011.
Photo from http://thecaldorrainbow.blogspot.com

Originally a Springfield-based Albert Steiger Company, the store seen here operated as a Boston-based Filene's for nearly 12 years. It was rebranded as a Macy's in September 2006. That store, in business for over 9 years, was shuttered in March 2016.
Photo from http://thecaldorrainbow.blogspot.com

A view of the mall's Central Court and fountain.
Photo from Wikipedia / John Phelan

Sears, the final operational EASTFIELD department store, went dark in September 2018. A redevelopment of the shopping hub had been in the planning stages for a number of years. Initially, it was stymied by multiple ownership of the three anchor store structures. The J.C. Penney building was acquired by the mall owner in 2011, with the former Macy's being purchased in 2017.
Graphic from https://www.eastfieldmall.com

In a provisional plan, we see a newly-demalled EASTFIELD COMMONS. Anchor structures (surrounded in blue) have been retained from the mall, along with a shuttered movie multiplex. Several residential units (in red) are components of a new open-air, mixed-use complex.

Original drawing from the Mountain Development Corporation

Alas, Mountain Development sold the EASTFIELD property in March 2023. An all-new redevelopment plan was drawn up by the new proprietors. The mall was knocked down, leaving only the Sears building (surrounded in blue) standing. An open-air power center, known as SPRINGFIELD CROSSING, is being built.

Original drawing from https://atlanticretail.com / Atlantic Retail

EASTFIELD MALL

Boston Road / US 20 and Fernbank Road
Springfield, Massachusetts

The first fully-enclosed shopping center in Western Massachusetts was built by Maryland's James Rouse Company, under the auspices of its Community Research & Development subsidiary. EASTFIELD MALL was developed on a 43.6-acre site, located 5 miles northeast of center city Springfield.

The single-level complex, designed by Grand Rapids' Daverman & Associates, was officially dedicated on April 1, 1968. Two anchor department stores opened on this day; a 2-level (121,000 square foot), Springfield-based Forbes & Wallace and 2-level (201,000 square foot) Sears. Forty-four inline stores also held grand openings.

On August 1, 1968, a 2-level (117,000 square foot), Springfield-based Albert Steiger Company welcomed its first patrons. By this time, the mall contained sixty-four tenant spaces. Some of its charter stores and services were Peerless Company, Chess King, Anderson-Little, Thom McAn Shoes, Mall Barber Shop, Baker's Shoes, a Friendly's Ice Cream, Music City Record Store and Flaming Pit Steakhouse.

The General Cinema Corporation Eastfield Cinema showed its first feature December 25, 1968. With its completion, EASTFIELD MALL encompassed approximately 656,000 leasable square feet.

Retail rivals in the Pioneer Valley included BAYSTATE WEST (1970) {a center city Springfield Urban Renewal project}, FAIRFIELD MALL (1974) {4.8 miles northwest, in Chicopee ["chik-uh-pee"]} and HOLYOKE ["hohl-ee-ohk"] MALL (1979) {7.8 miles northwest, in Holyoke}.

Anchor rebrandings commenced with the shuttering of the mall's Forbes & Wallace store, which transpired on August 7, 1976. The vacant space was taken by J.C. Penney, who held their grand opening on August 10, 1977.

Meanwhile, the mall's movie theater had re-opened, as the Eastfield 1 & 2, in October 1976. The theater was shuttered in late 1985. In January 1986, construction commenced on a 2.5 million dollar renovation. 90,000 square feet of the southeast corner of the mall, including the vacant cinema, was gutted and extended. This area was rebuilt as the 10-bay Market Shed Food Court, which was completed in October 1986.

A second anchor conversion involved the Albert Steiger Company, which closed on March 12, 1994. The EASTFIELD MALL location was one of six Steiger's stores sold to May Department Stores, of St. Louis. The building was remodeled and re-opened, as a Boston-based Filene's, on November 9, 1994.

Clifton, New Jersey's Mountain Development Corporation acquired EASTFIELD MALL in April 1998. Soon after, plans were announced for a revitalization, which was to include the addition of the Showcase Cinemas Eastfield Mall 16. Construction got underway in March 1999 with the megaplex cinema opening for business on August 22 of the same year. The mall now enveloped approximately 824,000 leasable square feet.

The most recent nameplate changes at EASTFIELD MALL involve Filene's, which was "Macy-ated" September 9, 2006, and the Showcase Cinemas, which became the Rave Eastfield 16 in April 2010 and the Cinemark Eastfield Mall 16 in November 2012. The mall's J.C. Penney was demoted to an Outlet Store August 10, 2005 and was shuttered in August 2011.

In early 2015, three major inline stores shut down; Radio Shack, Deb Shops and American Eagle Outfitters. The vacant Penney's was leased as a 1-level Spirit Halloween on an intermittent basis. Macy's pulled the proverbial plug on their EASTFIELD store in April 2016, leaving only Sears to sustain the shopping hub. This 50-year-old store would close for good in late 2018.

Mountain Development had drawn up plans to demall the EASTFIELD complex. Inline store space would be demolished, leaving three anchor structures, and the multiplex cinema, standing. The new EASTFIELD COMMONS would include retail and residential components; these presented in an "Old Timey Downtown" motif.

On March 17, 2020, the Cinemark multiplex shut down as a precaution against the Covid-19 pandemic . In June, it was announced that the theater would not re-open. In March 2023, The past its prime property was sold to a joint venture of Onyx Partners, Limited and Atlantic Retail; both headquartered in Needham, Massachusetts.

The mall closed for good on June 15, 2023. Demolition commenced in August. A 360,000 square foot, open-air shopping complex was being built. The first stores in SPRINGFIELD CROSSING were scheduled to open in the spring of 2025.

Sources:

The Springfield Republican

http://caldorrainbowblogspot.com / Nicholas DiMaio webmaster

http://www.eastfieldmall.com

http://www.therousecompany.com (Website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

Hampden County, Massachusetts Register of Deeds Records Access Site

http://www.eastfieldmall.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

Western Massachusetts Movie Theaters and Drive-Ins / Mike Rivest

www.masslive.com

https://atlanticretail.com

https://onyxpartnersltd.com

MAJOR BOSTON MALLS & SHOPPING CENTERS

1. SHOPPERS' WORLD -1951-1994 / open-air / SHOPPERS WORLD -1995 / open-air / Framingham

2. NORTHSHORE CENTER -1958 / open-air, enclosed 1978 / NORTHSHORE MALL -1994 / Peabody ("pee-BUD-ee")

3. NEW ENGLAND SHOPPING CENTER -1960 / open-air strip complex / SQUARE ONE MALL -1994 / enclosed / Essex County

4. SOUTH SHORE PLAZA -1961 / open-air, enclosed 1976 / Braintree

5. WESTGATE SHOPPERS' PARK -1963 / Massachusetts' first enclosed mall / WESTGATE MALL -1965 / Brockton

6. DEDHAM MALL -1965 / enclosed community-class complex / Dedham

7. NATICK MALL -1966 / enclosed / NATICK -2006 / NATICK COLLECTION -2007 / NATICK MALL -2011 / enclosed & open-air / Natick

8. BAYSIDE MALL 1966-1976 / enclosed inner city specialty complex / BAYSIDE EXPOSITION CENTER -1983 / Boston

9. BURLINGTON MALL -1968 / enclosed / Burlington

10. ROUTE 30 MALL -1971 / enclosed community-class complex / Framingham

11. HANOVER MALL -1971 / enclosed / Hanover

12. WALPOLE MALL -1972 / enclosed community-class complex / Walpole

13. LIBERTY TREE MALL -1972 / enclosed / enclosed & open-air - 1998 / Danvers

14. METHUEN MALL 1973-1999 / enclosed / THE LOOP -2000 / open-air / Methuen

15. MALL AT CHESTNUT HILL -1974 / enclosed / Newton

16. CHELMSFORD MALL -1974 / open-air & enclosed community-class complex / Middlesex County

17. WATERTOWN MALL -1975 / enclosed / Watertown

18. MIDDLESEX MALL -1975 / enclosed & open-air community-class complex / Burlington

19. BILLERICA MALL ("bill-rick-uh") -1975 / open-air & enclosed community-class complex / Middlesex County

20. HARBORLIGHT MALL 1976-2000 / enclosed community-class complex / HARBOURLIGHT MALL -2001 / open-air / Norfolk County

21. WOBURN (woo-burn) MALL -1976 / enclosed community-class complex / Woburn

22. MYSTIC MALL 1978-2000 / enclosed / Chelsea

23. NATICK TOWNE MALL -1979 / enclosed & open-air community-class complex / CLOVERLEAF MARKETPLACE -1982 / CLOVERLEAF SHOPS / open-air complex / Natick

24. FRAMINGHAM MALL - 1979-1999 / enclosed community-class complex / FRAMINGHAM MALL -2000 / open-air / Framingham

25. MEADOW GLEN MALL -1979 / enclosed / Medford

26. ASSEMBLY SQUARE MALL existing building renovated into enclosed mall in 1980 / ASSEMBLY SQUARE MARKETPLACE -2006 / Somerville

27. COPLEY PLACE -1981 / enclosed inner-city specialty mall / Boston

28. ARSENAL MARKETPLACE / MALL existing building renovated into enclosed specialty mall in 1983 / Watertown

29. LAFAYETTE PLACE -1984-1992 / enclosed inner city specialty mall / LAFAYETTE CORPORATE CENTER -1999 / office-retail complex / Boston

30. EMERALD SQUARE MALL -1989 / enclosed / Norfolk County

31. ATRIUM MALL -1989 / ATRIUM CENTER enclosed office & retail complex - 2016 / Newton

32. CAMBRIDGESIDE GALLERIA -1990 / enclosed / Cambridge

33. SOLOMON POND MALL -1996 / enclosed / Marlborough & Worcester County

[Structures indicated in bold italic have been completely demolished. Those in green have full articles on the MALL HALL OF FAME site]

Omaha's Westroads Center

First came CROSSROADS, then SOUTHROADS. The third of Omaha's "Roads" malls was developed in the city's western environs. WESTROADS CENTER opened, in January 1968, as the largest retail hub in the Corn Husker State. The mall's original logo promoted the complex as America's 8th Largest Shopping Center.

Graphic from Wiebe Enterprises

The heart of WESTROADS was known as Central Park. This lushly landscaped court, underneath an "Astrodome" skylight, was 2-stories high. The mall entrance of the Kilpatrick's department store faced the area.

Drawing from Wiebe Enterprises

Our first WESTROADS plan dates to the earlier part of 1969. At this time, the mall was a 2-level (with basement), tri-anchor shopping center of around 983,400 leasable square feet. There were around eighty stores and services and 45 acres of free parking. One might note that the complex is located in Douglas County, Nebraska. It was annexed into The Big O in May 1969.

One of the primary features at WESTROADS was it Six West Theatres, which was the nation's first 6-screen shopping mall multiplex. The venue opened for business in January 1969. The adjacent Fox Westroads Theatre -a single-screen operation- had been dedicated in November 1967.

J.C. Penney opened a WESTROADS location in August 1967. It was said that the store offered everything from mini-skirts to an electronic diagnosis of automobile engines. Encompassing 184,000 square feet, the Dynamic, New, Complete Penneys included a Coffee Shoppe, Pet Shop, Western Shop and Lawn & Garden Department.

Graphic from the J.C. Penney Company

The shopping concourses at the original mall were named after several European locales and American cities. There was a Westminster Mall, Italia Mall, Alpine Mall and Normandy Mall, to name a few. These were linked by various Lanes, i.e., Maiden, Petticoat, Edelweiss, etcetera. All sixteen are indicated on the diagram above.

The basement floor, or Lower Level, was not fully tenanted until 1971. At this time, it housed the Westroads Dinner Theatre, a cocktail lounge, nightclub, Community Room and various stores and offices.

Omaha-based Brandeis established a 4-level -80,000 square foot- branch at WESTROADS CENTER. This was installed in an unfinished Northwest Wing. The store opened in October 1972.

Drawing from J.L. Brandeis & Sons

A site plan from 1977 shows the recently-added Brandeis branch. The mall's first anchor nameplate change rebranded the center department store under a Younker-Kilpatricks banner. The mall's Fox theater has also been split into and renamed the Fox Twin. With these -and other- modifications, the mall enclosed 157 stores and services.

By 1991, the Grand Cafe Food Court has been built in an abandoned sporting goods store (which was originally a supermarket). Brandeis closed after that chain was absorbed by Younkers, in 1987. The store operated as a Younkers West specialty store, which closed in June 1990. The Fox Twin has merged with the Six West across the way. The combined venues are now known as the Westroads 8.

A fourth WESTROADS anchor -a branch of Iowa's Von Maur chain- opened for business in August 1995. The 3-level store encompassed 179,100 square feet.
Photo from Dan Olson

By 2001, the complex has been sold to General Growth Properties and renamed WESTROADS MALL. It has also been substantially renovated. In addition to Von Maur, there is a new The Jones Store, which took over a vacant Monkey Wards. WESTROADS now spans approximately 1,078,700 leasable square feet and houses around 140 stores. There is free parking for 5,100 autos.

WESTROADS MALL TENANTS 2001:

J.C. PENNEY (with Styling Salon, Optical Department and Portrait Studio) / THE JONES STORE / VON MAUR / YOUNKERS (with Hair Salon) / Aerosoles shoes / Afternoon, Incorporated / Afterthought Boutique / American Eagle Outfitters / Amigos / Amy's Jewelers / Art Plus / Ashley Avery's Collectables / August Max Woman ladies' wear / B. Dalton Bookseller / Bank Of Waterloo ATM / Batteries & Bands (kiosk) / Between Friends / Brodkey's Jewelers / Car-Lene Research / Casual Corner ladies' wear / Champs Sports / Claire's Boutique accessories / Dakota Watch Company (kiosk) / David's Briar Shoppe / Easy Spirit / Eyemasters / Famous Footwear / Fan Shop / Finish Line / First Westroads Bank (outparcel) / First Westroads Bank ATM (kiosk) / Foot Locker / Fred Meyer Jewelers / GNC / Gloria Jean's Coffee Bean / Godiva Chocolatier / Goodtimes Cards & Gifts / Gordon's Jewelers / Gymboree children's wear / Hallmark Creations / Helzberg Diamonds / His Choice / Hot Topic apparel / It's A Small World / Journeys shoes / Kay Jewelers / Kay-Bee Toys / Lady Foot Locker / Landmark Luggage & Gifts / Lids hats / Limited Express ladies' wear / Mastercuts / Merle Norman Cosmetics / Munchville / New Realities / Northern Reflections ladies' wear / Old Navy apparel / Omaha Steakshop / Overland Trading Company shoes / Pacific Sunwear apparel / Panera Bread / PayLess ShoeSource / Pearle Vision Center / Petite Sophistocate ladies' wear / Piercing Pagoda (kiosk) / Portaits Now / Pretzel Time / Pro Motorsports / Radio Shack / Regis Hairstylists / Remington Shavers & Knives / Ritz Camera One-Hour Photo / Rogers Jewelers / Romano's Macaroni Grill (outparcel) / Rue 21 ladies' wear / Sam Goody Music / Select Comfort / Software Etcetera / Spencer Gifts / Sports Fantastic / Sportsmen's Authentic / Stride-Rite shoes / Suncoast Pictures video / Sunglass Hut / Sunglass Source / TGI Friday restaurant / The Body Shop cosmetics / The Cookie Factory Bakery / The Disney Store / The Icing accessories / The Pro Image / Things Remembered / Tilt video Arcade / Too, Incorporated ladies' wear / Trade Secret / Tropic Sun Fruit & Nut / U A Nails / Vanity ladies' wear / Vitamin World / Waldenbooks / Warner Brothers Studio Store / Whitehall Company Jewelers / Wilson's The Leather Experts / Wolf Brothers Western Store / Yankee Candle Company / Zales Jewelers

GRAND CAFE FOOD COURT:

1 Potato 2 / Arby's roast beef / Burger King / Cajuin Cafe & Grill / Cinnabon / Great Steak & Fry Company / Imperial Palace Express / Orange Julius - Dairy Queen / Runza Fresh Daily / The Original Cookie Company / Popeye's Express Chicken / Sbarro the Italian Eatery

Originally built as a Galyan's Trading Company, this store opened in August 2003. It was rebranded by Dick's Sporting Goods in October 2004.
Photo from Wikipedia / "JonClee86"

A Bing's-eye view of WESTROADS from around 2006. This was right before the shopping center's north anchor store was reconstructed.
Photo from www.bing.com

The Rave Cinemas Westroads 14 was completed in November 2008. It became an AMC venue in 2012.
Photo from Wikipedia / "JonClee86"

In 2003, Younkers moved over to a vacant The Jones Store spot. By 2016, the north facade of the mall has been rebuilt. There are now a Dick's Sporting Goods, Rave megaplex and Flagship Commons Food Hall. With these modifications, the shopping center encompasses approximately 1,045,800 leasable square feet and contains 122 stores under its roof.

The Flagship Commons Food Hall replaced the mall's original culinary complex in late 2015. The new 8-bay facility was installed in existing space on the northwest corner of the shopping center. It featured bistros such as Blatt Beer & Table, Aromas Coffee House, Weirdough Pizza Company and Clever Greens.
Photo from www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties